IDFC FIRST Bank has elevated Pankaj Singh to Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), recognising his role in the bank’s people strategy and business growth over the past seven years. In the expanded role, he will lead the bank’s overall HR agenda, spanning talent strategy, leadership development, organisational transformation, and employee experience. He succeeds Adrian Andrade, who moves to strategic projects ahead of his superannuation.
Singh joined IDFC FIRST Bank in July 2019 as Head HR for Retail Assets. His portfolio expanded over time to cover Retail Banking, Operations and Customer Experience, a vertical the bank describes as representing nearly 90% of its overall business. His most recent role before the elevation was Head HR, Retail Banking, Customer Experience and Operations.
An alumnus of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Singh holds a master’s degree in human resources and brings over 24 years of experience across the HR spectrum in the banking and financial services sector. Before joining IDFC FIRST Bank, he served as Head of Human Resources at Indiabulls Consumer Finance. Earlier, he spent about six years at Capital First, where he held leadership roles including Head of Talent Management and Head of Employee Engagement and HR Business Partner.
His earlier career included a stint at Royal Bank of Scotland as Manager, Human Resources, and eight years at Standard Chartered Bank, which he joined in 2002 as an HR executive and left in 2010 as a regional HR manager, according to the bank’s regulatory filing.
The elevation was disclosed to the exchanges as part of a leadership transition in the bank’s HR function, with Andrade continuing to report to the Managing Director and CEO on strategic projects.
